Infant car seats typically include a base and an infant carrier that can attach to and be detached from the base. The base can remain in the vehicle, secured to the vehicle seat by a latch system or by the vehicle belt system, and the infant carrier can be removed from the base to transport the child. Infant car seats in the market today are popular because of the convenience they offer to parents. For example, the infant carrier allows the parent to carry a sleeping child from car to home or other destination without disturbing the child. The infant carrier also can be snapped onto a stroller to make a travel system.
Despite the many benefits of infant car seats, the usage of infant carriers generally is limited only to the infant's first six to eight months of life. Most infant carriers are rated by manufacturers for use from birth to 22 pounds. The infant carriers also are rated for use by children only up to a certain height. Infants younger than one year may outgrow rated weight and height limits established by manufacturers. Parents see first signs of this outgrowth when they notice that the child's legs and feet extend past the car seat and kick against the vehicle seat back. Parents perceive that this outgrowth makes the child uncomfortable.
Efforts are being made to increase the weight and height capability of infant carriers. One consideration in these efforts is that the harness system for the infant carrier must be able to secure a larger child in the infant carrier.
Thus, there is a need for a harness system for an infant car seat that can accommodate a larger child than can fit in a conventional infant car seat.